Lullaby 2
by angelsinstead
Summary: This is a sequel to Lullaby. Melinda is expecting Rick's baby. How will they handle it when tragedy strikes?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

"Honey, what is it? What's wrong?" Rick asked in concern as Melinda was clutching at her swollen, pregnant stomach as if she were in pain.

"I think I just felt..." Melinda's voice trailed away as she visibly winced.

"What? You felt what?"

"I think... ohhh, I think...Rick, something's _wrong_," Melinda stated.

Before she could say another word, she just collapsed. He barely caught her in his arms before she fell in a heap upon the floor. Immediately, all the color drained from Rick's face. It was just like the awful dreams Melinda had been having. She had been trying to hide it from him, but he _knew_.

She had been dreaming of death - a woman's death while bearing a child. "Ohhh no!" Rick gasped when he saw blood soaking through Melinda's clothing - _a great deal_ of blood. He didn't waste a single moment. He called for an ambulance and begged them to save the woman he loved and his unborn child.

XxxOoo

The next couple of hours were utter torture. Paramedics came to the house and loaded Melinda into an ambulance. They tried to assure Rick that Melinda and the baby would be fine, but he didn't believe them. He just knew that something was terribly wrong. He could feel the heavy weight of it in the air - impending death like a looming shadow. It stole the breath from his lungs.

"Melinda, I am here. Hang on," he pleaded as he held her hand in the ambulance. All he could think about were those dreams - those dark and ominous dreams Melinda had been having for the past two months.

Night after night, Melinda would wake up with tears running down her cheeks...

_Rick shuddered in terror as she sobbed with pain and sorrow._

_"What happened?" he asked as he lay beside her in the bed._

_"A dream...or a-a premonition. Someone's going to die."_

_When she spoke those words, Rick felt his skin crawl. Melinda had been known to have visions from the great beyond. It was one of her "gifts," along with her ability to see and speak to spirits._

_"Who's going to die?"_

_"A woman... having a baby. Ohhh my God, it's so sad."_

_Melinda cried in agony as Rick held her, kissed her, and tried to comfort her. "It's just a dream," he said in a whisper._

_"No, it's not..."_

And here he was, living it. Melinda was bleeding profusely as the ambulance rushed to the hospital. He knew there was more to the dream, but Melinda never went into details. She would just hold Rick ever so tight, crying on his shoulder.

"We're going to be alright. You'll be alright," Rick said to her in the ambulance. He was willing it to be true, even though he didn't believe it could be. They had been so happy; so blessed. He couldn't lose her now. He couldn't lose their child either; their little lullaby. He loved them both so much and he hadn't said it enough. Over and over he whispered it to her on the way to the hospital.

Once they arrived at Grandview Memorial, they were separated. The doctor rushed to Melinda's side and said they had to take Melinda into surgery to save her life. "Will she be okay?" Rick asked, his eyes shiny with unshed tears.

"We'll do everything we can," the doctor promised before they wheeled Melinda into the operating room.

Rick had no other choice but to let go of Melinda's hand. As soon as she disappeared behind those metal, double doors, he sunk down onto the nearest bench. He lay his head in his hands. His emotions exploded as he cried.

XxxOoo

His buttocks ached from sitting on a thick, heavy bench. He had no clue how long it had been since the last time he had held Melinda's hand or gazed upon her face. He had little awareness of his own surroundings. All he could think of was Melinda and the pain she was going through.

"Is she...?" he asked the doctor when he was approached by a man who wore a long white coat. It was Melinda's OB-Gyn.

The doctor spoke as Rick's tears slid like hot bullets down his pale cheeks.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"Is she...?" he asked the doctor when he was approached by a man wearing a long white coat. It was Melinda's OB-Gyn.

As the man spoke, Rick felt his tears slide like hot bullets down his pale cheeks. "Melinda's fine. She's in recovery now, but you should be able to see her soon. You have a beautiful baby girl."

"Are you sure...? Melinda's fine?" Rick asked as if he didn't hear or believe the doctor.

"There were a few complications. Her heart stopped on the operating table, but we were able to get her back. After that, we delivered the baby and Melinda's been stable ever since," the doctor replied.

Rick heard himself let up a deep, pent-up sigh of relief. The dream or premonition that had plagued Melinda the latter part of her pregnancy had not resulted in her death. Melinda was going to fine. So, what did it mean, if anything? Did it only occur because Melinda had almost died? Rick was baffled, because Melinda's intuition was never wrong. Something wasn't right, but he didn't know what. He wasn't going to be convinced until he actually saw Melinda - alive and well.

Since he wasn't able to see Melinda immediately due to her recovering from emergency surgery, the hospital staff took Rick to see the baby. His wee baby girl was so beautiful and precious. Rick picked her up, but worried he would drop her. She was so delicate. She had Melinda's dark hair and his eyes - at least he thought she'd have his eyes as they appeared to be a lovely shade of the darkest blue.

As he was holding his newborn daughter, a name came to him suddenly. He and Melinda had been discussing names for weeks, but nothing had seemed right. Rick was certain that this name was perfect. Whispering the name to his baby girl, he hoped that Melinda would like it. He wasn't sure of a middle name yet, but at least they had a first and a last name for their daughter.

Jim had granted Melinda a divorce, but Kate had been vicious, fighting Rick in court so that he wasn't free to marry Melinda before the baby's birth. He was supposed to have another court hearing regarding the case in about a week, but right now all he could concentrate on was his infant daughter. She gurgled so sweetly which caused Rick's heart to turn over inside his chest.

"Just wait until your mommy sees you," Rick said to the baby. "You sure were a lot of trouble, little miss, but you were definitely worth it."

He thought of everything he and Melinda had went through to get this little girl and Rick was certain he wouldn't change a single thing - not when it got him his heart's desire - Melinda _and_ a child. "You're our little lullaby," Rick said as he placed a small kiss on the satiny skin of his daughter's forehead. He placed her back in the bassinet, still staring down at her in awe. That's when a nurse came in, stating that Melinda was awake and asking to see him.

Rick's heartbeat sped up at the mention of Melinda. "It's time to meet your mommy now," Rick said to his daughter.

XxxOoo

A few minutes later, Rick entered Melinda's hospital room, followed by the nurse who wheeled in the baby's hospital bassinet. "Ohhh Rick!" Melinda gasped when she saw their sweet little girl.

Melinda's arms ached to hold her child as Rick carefully reached for the tiny bundle and placed her securely in her mother's arms. Immediately Melinda started to cry. "I thought you'd never get here," Melinda said to her daughter.

The nurse left to give the proud parents a few moments alone to get acquainted with their newborn.

Rick grinned proudly as he sat down in a chair at Melinda's bedside, watching her and the baby. "She had a dramatic entrance, but what would anyone expect? You're her mother," he said.

"Rick, about those dreams..." Melinda said as she looked up into his eyes. She looked haunted. "I still think..."

"We should put that all behind us. Everything's fine. You're fine. The baby's fine. There are no ghosts floating around -."

"Of course there are. This _is_ a hospital!"

"You're right about that, but none of that has anything to do with _us_ \- you, me, and our daughter. Let's just savor this moment. She's finally here, our little lullaby...and I have thought of a name for her."

"What is it, Rick?" Melinda asked with interest.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"Rick, don't keep me in suspense," Melinda prompted. "What name did you think of for our little girl?"

Rick looked down at the sweet baby in Melinda's arms. "How about Elizabeth Mary Ann Payne?" Rick suggested. "I think it's absolutely perfect and I hope you do, too."

"WHAT? You want to name our daughter after **MY** mother?" Melinda gasped.

"Well, yes... she should be named after her grandmother and your grandmother."

"But Rick, my mother and I have never seen eye to eye."

"That's true, but maybe this will help smooth things over with her."

"Or maybe not," he said when he saw the grimace on Melinda's face. "Look, if you have another idea for the baby's name..."

"No, I actually like it. Elizabeth Payne. And Mary Ann is so sweet...in remembrance of my beloved Grandma. I wonder if our little girl will have the same gifts that I have...and that my grandmother had. Mom has those gifts, too; she just doesn't want to embrace them. I think that's why we fight so much."

"So, it's settled then? We'll call our little Lullaby Elizabeth?"

"Yes, Rick. Elizabeth Mary Ann Payne."

Rick grinned. He kissed Melinda and then he pressed a soft kiss onto the sleeping baby's cheek. "She's tiny and cute, but she sure caused a lot of trouble. You both gave me quite a scare."

"It was no picnic for me either," Melinda pointed out.

"I'm just so glad you're okay. For a minute there..."

Rick didn't get to finish his sentence. A nurse came in, asking to speak to him. "It's urgent," she said. "You're Rick Payne, right?"

"Well, yes, last time I checked," Rick said jokingly, but the nurse wasn't laughing. She looked quite upset.

"And this is your girlfriend... **and** your new baby?"

"Yes. Why are you asking me this? I already filled out all of the paperwork."

"This is highly unusual, but I am afraid we must talk alone, Professor Payne," the nurse said with urgency.

"Well, okay, but I was bonding with the woman I love...and our new baby girl."

"Please, I need to talk to you," the nurse urged.

"Rick, why don't you go see what she wants. Elizabeth and I will be right here waiting when you return," Melinda told him with a smile.

"Okay. I love you," he said, smiling himself when Melinda said their daughter's name. He was thrilled he got to name their little girl. He was also ecstatic that Melinda had agreed to the name he had chosen.

"I'll be right back. Promise you won't go anywhere," Rick said.

"I promise," said Melinda as she cuddled her little girl.

Rick hadn't even been gone five minutes when Melinda realized she wasn't alone in the room. She could feel the presence of a powerful spirit. "I know you're here," Melinda said. "Why don't you come out and show yourself? We have to talk. Tell me what is going on. What happened to you?"

Melinda waited, hoping that the ghost would respond.

XxxOoo

"What is going on?" Rick asked when the middle-aged nurse lead him into a conference room and closed the door.

"Sit down," the nurse urged.

"Is something wrong? I can sense that something is definitely wrong. Is it Melinda or the baby? Are they both truly okay?" Melinda had seemed perfectly fine, but Rick still had that bad feeling of some sort of impending doom. It was like a dark cloud of choking smoke that he could not escape.

"Why didn't you tell us at the front desk when you filled out the paperwork that you're a married man and that your wife was also expecting a child? This has never happened before... not at this hospital... and now that it has, we just don't know what to do."

"What are you talking about? How did you find out I'm married?" Rick asked as his agitation rose. "Is Kate a patient here at this hospital, too? Is that what's going on?"

"No, your wife is not a patient here at this hospital. I am sorry to have to tell you this, Professor Payne, but your wife is dead. She was killed in a freak accident."

The words 'your wife is dead' kept echoing in Rick's head. It was difficult to think clearly. Kate was _dead_?

"What ... what happened? What happened to Kate?"

"She was driving by a construction site," the nurse said gently as she saw the pain flashing in Rick's eyes. "A crane fell on her car. She was crushed."

"Nooooo. Ohhh no," Rick said as he struggled to grasp what the nurse was trying to tell him.

"It took the paramedics a couple of hours to free her from the vehicle. She managed to hang on just long enough..."

"You're wrong. Kate _can't_ be dead. We have a court hearing in about a week. We're getting a divorce."

"I am sorry, Professor Payne. She **is** dead," the nurse confirmed. "And well, there is the other matter we must discuss."

"What is it?" Rick asked, his eyes bright with unshed tears.

XxxOoo

She stood over Melinda's bed. "Is that my baby?" Kate asked as she glanced longingly at little Elizabeth.

Melinda shook her head. "No, this is Elizabeth. She's my baby... and Rick's."

"I had a boy," said Kate. "But I don't know where they took him. Promise me- promise me you'll find him. Tell Rick - tell him that the baby is going to need him."

"What happened to you, Kate?" Melinda asked, seeing that Kate's face was partially crushed and mangled. Evidently she had been in some sort of horrible accident.

"A crane fell on my car. It happened so fast. I didn't even know what it was that hit me. Then there was just all this pain... and blood. So much blood. Rivers and rivers of it."

Melinda shuddered. "Just like my dream. Ohhh Kate, I am sorry that something so awful happened to you."

"It isn't fair. I was so looking forward to having my baby... my little boy. Now I don't know where he's gone."

"Kate, are you sure he's okay?" Melinda questioned.

"I don't know. But I want Rick to have him."

"What about your baby's father?"

"He left. He didn't care; not really. He's just gone. I guess he's still hung up on..."

Melinda had so many questions but Kate was beginning to fade as her words trailed away. "Kate, please, I need to know..." But then, just as suddenly as she appeared, Kate was gone.

Melinda looked down at the baby resting in her arms. "You better get used to this, Elizabeth. Mommy hardly ever has a minute of peace."

XxxOoo

"You have a son. A perfectly healthy baby boy. By some miracle, he survived the accident," the nurse said.

"I have a _what_?" Rick asked in shock.

"Your wife gave birth to a son... just before she died. You have a little boy," said the nurse. "And a little girl, too, apparently."

"**Ohhh my God**," Rick gasped.

He wasn't thinking clearly, but he knew that since he was Kate's husband at the time of the birth, then that would make him the baby's legal father. Kate didn't appear to have a man in her life, so there was no one to claim her son. What in the world was Rick going to do?

"I- I need a minute to think... to deal with all of this..." Rick said, but the nurse insisted he needed to go see the baby, his 'son.'

"Your little boy needs you. I know you were estranged from your wife, but the infant is entirely alone."

"Let me talk to Melinda. I need to tell her, then I can see the baby."

"Alright," said the nurse as she lead Rick out of the conference room and back to Melinda's bedside.

As soon as the nurse left them alone, Melinda spoke. "Kate is dead," said Melinda. "She was just here. And I know there's a baby... a little boy. Kate is distraught because she doesn't know her son's whereabouts."

"He's here in the hospital and they think I am his father. They think that I got both of you pregnant."

"Wow, they must think you've been a busy boy," Melinda quipped, a twinkle in her eye.

Rick let out a loud sigh as he sunk down in the chair next to Melinda's bed. "What I am supposed to do? I _am_ his legal father... and his mother's dead."

"Rick, Kate wanted you to take the baby."

"What?" Rick gasped. "You... me... and _two_ babies?"

"Yes, we have to take Elizabeth and the other baby home with us. It's what Kate wanted. She told me so."

"What about the father? What if he shows up and wants the kid?"

"Kate said he just disappeared. We don't even know who he is, so we can't try to find him."

"Why didn't you ask Kate about her baby daddy?"

"Rick, she just died. She was upset and disoriented. She was worried about her child."

"I can't... can't believe she's really dead."

"I'm sorry. All those dreams I had - they were premonitions. Not of my death... but of Kate's."

"The hospital thinks I have two kids, both born on the same day," Rick said, still in a state of shock.

"You do have two kids now, Rick. Elizabeth and... I don't know what to name the other baby."

"Maybe you should ask Kate," said Rick, rolling his eyes.

"Ohhh Kate," he called out, talking to the bare walls. "What do you want us to name your son?"

"Don't taunt her. She's newly dead. She died a gruesome and painful death... and now she's separated from her child. Rick, she's suffered so much. The least we could do is look out for her little boy. He's an orphan."

"No, he isn't," Rick said. "I am his legal father. You're right, Melinda. We are taking two babies home from the hospital."

Melinda smiled. She knew that Rick would do the right thing - the _only_ thing.


End file.
